Look, Mom, I’m Web Famous!

Okay. I’m not really web famous, but I did get a taste of life as a “YouTuber” this week when I was asked to be in a GEM Sisters video.
 
I remember the day I met them. It was five years ago. My very good friends, MéLisa and Ryun, brought the girls into their home. They were young and shy and eager to be loved.  I remember their adoption day - it was my birthday - I was at the LA County Courthouse when the judged pronounced my friends legal guardians, mom and dad. Since then I’ve celebrated birthdays, holidays, vacations, and life milestones with them. I take them to the movies and the zoo. They call me Uncle Nathan. When I try to explain my relationship to the girls, I simply say they’re my nieces.
 
To me, they are Giselle, Mercedes, and Evangeline. But to a growing number of young girls across the globe, they are The GEM Sisters. They started posting videos on YouTube about a year ago and have quickly become rising stars in the YouTube world. Three of their videos have over a million views. With 80K channel subscribers and growing they have connected with a passionate and enthusiastic audience.
 
I don’t understand YouTube. I mean I get it, sort of. I occasionally visit to watch a movie trailer or to see Carpool Karaoke or a Jimmy Fallon sketch. But when I hear people say that they will sit and watch YouTube videos all night, I think “huh?”
 
I write screenplays. I watch movies. I binge watch TV shows. I consume media like a long-term relationship. I’m very selective, but I’m committed until the end… unless you do something to break my trust (I'm looking at you Walking Dead, be careful). Small bursts of entertainment are not what I do, but it is what the younger generation does. 
 
It has been fun to watch The GEM Sisters find their audience, create a brand, and grow in popularity. When they asked if I would act in their sketch I was hesitant. I found my comfortable place behind the camera in front of a keyboard. But I couldn’t say no to Giselle, Mercedes, and Evangeline. A smile and a please and what can I say... I'm web famous for a day.